Tomb Raider: The Return
by benw1999
Summary: After dealing with the trauma Lara Croft was left with after her last visit to Yamatai, she is ready to return. Although this time, things are different, and it could just so happen that this time is worse than the last. I continue my stories depending on the reviews I receive, so if you enjoy then please review. Thank you!
1. The Endurance II

"All set?" I ask Sam. After months of preparation, the big day is finally here.  
"Only for the past 3 weeks," she replies, "you?"  
"Yeah, I guess so…"  
"Listen, Lara," Sam replies, "if this gets too much for you, you've gotta say something. I mean, it's not gonna be easy on any of us, but you, I mean, there's things you wont even tell me about last ti-"  
"Sam," I cut in, "when I'm ready to do so, I will tell you, I mean, there will be multiple books written about it anyway," I joke, "but I just can't bring myself to relive it all right now." Sam's face is still as hard as stone, and I begin to believe that nothing I say will change her mind.  
"You may not be able to relive it right now, but in a few weeks we will be back there again, try not reliving it then." She looks at me like shit, then dramatically turns, opens, and then slams the door of my room as-if I'd done something that really affected her. I forgive her though. Me not telling her everything that happened to me on that Island has affected her, because she can't empathize with me, which she hates. But she speaks the truth: In a few days, we will be back, back on Yamatai. Even though this time we will be devoid of the Himiko and her wrath, Father Mathias, and everyone on the island trying to kill me, it will still affect me. But after letting it all sink in, we will be able to explore this time, I mean, everything that we couldn't last time. Although, I contemplate how I will be able to do it this time, especially without Roth, but I won't be alone. Not only will Sam, Jonah, and Reyes be coming back with me, so will some others. Reye's daughter Alisha practically begged her to let her come this time, and after me reminding her that there wont be all the crap there was last time, she agreed. As well as Alisha, we have a new technician, Dan, and a new presenter for the cameras, Johnny, who will hopefully be better than the douchebag Whitman, who I really hope isn't resting in peace. Captain this time is Lewis.

*  
As we board the Endurance II, I can't help feeling the dejavu rushing through me. Sam by now has calmed down, and comes to hold my hand as the sound of the boats horn rings through my ears and we set off. I feel my other hand being held, this one by Jonah. Next to him is Reyes. My theory of how people who have died are always with you kicks in, and I imagine Roth, Alex and Grim all standing with us by the edge of the boat, watching the shore slowly become smaller and smaller, until there is nothing but murky blue sea surrounding us.

*  
The days pass slowly and just like last time, time is filled by filming stuff like cooking, interviews with the crew, and lengthy sea shots. It's not until day 21, when things become interesting. The night before we're set to arrive in Yamatai, the seas feel uneasy. Lewis warns us that it's nothing, the rest of the original Endurance members and I have an uneasy gut feeling.  
"Shut up." I tell, myself without even saying anything. Himiko doesn't control the storms anymore, I know that, but something doesn't sit right in my stomach. As the night rolls on, the sky begins to thunder, and the waves almost reach the deck. I tell myself that it's a natural sea storm, and before I allow myself to overthink anymore, I plug my headphones into my ears, and listen to music until my eyes can't keep open any longer.  
I am awoken by a beaming smile from a familiar face. Music still booming through my head, I remove my headphones to hear Sam's tiny yelps of excitement.  
"We're back!" We're here! Finally! Come on, we've just docked, let's go look around, I mean, again, ish."  
I pull on my 'adventure' clothes as I like to call them, identical to the ones I wore the last time I was here.  
As I walk closer to the door of the ship, the hot sunlight hits my skin, hotter than last time, it would seem. But as I walk closer and closer to the door, my heart begins to pound against my chest. Closer. Closer. Now. In front of me, once again, is the beach. The beach the Endurance crashed on, the beach where it all began. Is the sun getting hotter? I walk off of the steps onto the warm sand. Is it normal to feel it through my boots? Why is the sand so hot? My head is pounding, as is my heart. This is all too much. Suddenly, I feel my legs weaken beneath me. Why is the sun so hot? Almost instantly, I fall to the floor, into a deep, deep sleep.


	2. A Suggestion

I wake to a mouth full of sand. Spitting it out, I realize I've been placed in the recovery position down where the campfire from last time was. "Don't worry," says a familiar voice, "I found it hard to get off of that boat too." I look to see Jonah staring at me, his face almost ripping in half with that enormous smile of his. "Second time you've arrived on this beach and been knocked unconscious hey," he says with a wink. Of course he is referring to when I got knocked around the head by one of the Solarii last time.  
"How long have I been out for?" I ask hesitantly, dismissing his unfunny joke.  
"Eh, about an hour or so. Hey, look, she's been worried sick." I turn to see Sam, almost about to trip over with how fast she's running.  
"I'm fine, Sam." I exclaim before she hits me with 21 questions, but to my surprise, the same can't be said for her. When she reaches me, her forehead is cupped with one of her hands, and I notice a box of paracetamol poking out of her shirt pocket. "What's up?" I question her.  
"I've got the shittiest migraine ever, happened as soon as I got off of the boat," she replies.  
"It's probably just the heat, Sam. It'll pass. I found it hot, too."  
"I hope so. Anyway, Lara, we've been all been thinking, and, you know, this is completely up to you, I mean, if you want to. You don't have to,"  
"She's not gonna like this," Jonah intervenes.  
Beginning to feel uneasy, I harshly snap, "Spit it out, Sam!"  
"Well," she goes on, "how would you feel about maybe… r-retracing…?"  
"Retracing? Retracing what?"  
"You know, your, um, steps?" My expression stays blank, but in my head all I can think of is 'are you fucking kidding me?'  
"Why would I do that? Are you crazy?"  
"It was just an idea, Lara! I'm sorry! We all just thought that, well, you know, your stories already famous, why not show the world what really happened, and who better to do it than Lara Croft herself? It will, make for, um, good TV."  
"Fuck you. 'IT WILL MAKE FOR GOOD TV'? FUCK YOU." Maybe I am being too harsh this way, but, I mean, seriously?  
"I'm sorry! If it's any consolation, it wasn't just my idea," she replies, failing to justify herself.  
"We just thought," says Jonah, "you know, maybe doing this will give you closure. And this time, we will be with you, every step of the way." Shit. That is a really good idea. Maybe I did over react, ever so slightly. My gaze wanders over to Sam, her hand still supporting her forehead. I see tears in her eyes, and I know instantly that these are because she upset. She hates upsetting me, and vice versa, but this island just makes me uneasy, and I apologise to her with a soothing voice and a hug. "When I think about it now, that's a good idea. Thank you guys. When do we start?" I say, reassuringly.  
"We need to eat now," replies Reyes, closer to us than I thought, her arm around Alisha, "we will start tomorrow."  
"Tomorrow sounds good to me," I reply.  
The night slowly passes, and I get maybe a few hours sleep, although I can't be sure. Eventually, the hot sun rises once again over Yamatai, and just like the sun, something arises inside of me. Today, I will be seeing everything; where my first kill took place, where I burned the body of Himiko, and the place I least look forward too; where Roth died. As I sit eating slightly stale bread with strawberry jam out by the campsite, my stomach turns as I remember something.  
"We can't do it," I say with remorse.  
"What's up?" Says Sam quickly, her hand still glued to her forehead.  
"Well, I kinda destroyed basically everything. I mean, bridges, hanging aeroplanes, buildings, and most of the time I climbed up to places with my axe."  
Almost as if it were planned, Jonah and Reyes laugh in unison.  
"What's so funny?" I snap, slightly annoyed at their incessant giggling.  
"Lara, don't you think we took precautions this time?" Laughs Jonah.  
"What?"  
"Lara, I think you're forgetting, we have a freakin' helicopter on board," Laughs Reyes, taking a long sip of her strong black coffee.

"Oh," I say shyly, my cheeks warming almost instantly.  
"Hanging aeroplanes?" Asks Jonah, "We've got a lot to learn about your first time here, haven't we Lara?"  
"More than you think." I say, feeling a slight smile work itself across my face.


End file.
